MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated Minnesota, 68-56, on Sunday afternoon at Williams Arena. Iowa improves to 16-9 on the season and 8-6 in Big Ten play.
Junior Kris Murray posted his sixth double-double of the season on 28 points and 14 rebounds, a pair of game-highs. Murray tallied seven offensive rebounds, three steals, two blocks and a pair of assists.
Murray’s 14 rebounds are his second-most on the season (20 vs. Georgia Tech on Nov. 29) and a season-best in conference play.
Iowa dominated the glass, 44-33, against the Golden Gophers, including a 17-2 margin on the offensive boards. Graduate student Connor McCaffery hauled in 10 rebounds, marking the fourth double-digit rebounding game of his career.
Fifth year Filip Rebraca was good for 16 points and eight rebounds on Sunday, along with two assists.
Iowa led for all but 22 seconds of game action. The win makes for eight Hawkeye victories in the last 11 outings dating back to Jan. 5, 2022.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY
“I was really impressed with the job that [Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson] has done under difficult circumstances. He has got them playing hard. The only good thing when you have guys out, it gives opportunities to your freshmen. Those guys are playing really well. They are gaining confidence, they are playing aggressively, and that’s what they did.
I thought our defense early was really good. They started taking us off the bounce, and they were scoring. They got confident, but we finished the half ok. In the second half, I thought Kris [Murray] and Filip [Rebraca] in particular were really, really good. So was Connor [McCaffery]. Defensively and on the glass. So, really proud of the guys. Got a big boost from Patrick [McCaffery] off the bench, and Perkins and Ulis are so solid. We had to fight… Anyone that beats this team is going to have to fight.”
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
- Iowa has won six of the last seven overall games against the Gophers.
- Kris Murray posted his sixth double-double of the season totaling game highs in points (28) and rebounds (14), to go along with three steals, two assists, and two blocks. Murray’s 14 rebounds are the second most he has had this season and most against a conference opponent (20 vs. Georgia Tech).
- Filip Rebraca amassed 16 points and eight rebounds, reaching 15+ points in 10 of Iowa’s last 15 contests.
- Tony Perkins tied a career high with six assists, while also collecting seven points and seven rebounds.
- The Hawkeyes collected a season-high 11 steals for the second consecutive game (11 at No. 1 Purdue).
- Iowa dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 17 offensive rebounds to only two for Minnesota (+15). The two offensive rebounds allowed equaled a season low for a Hawkeye opponent (2 at Penn State).
- Fran McCaffery has now won 123 regular season Big Ten games, three behind Tom Davis (126) for the most in program history.
- The Hawkeyes recorded their third true road win of the season (Seton Hall; Rutgers).
- Today was the only regular season meeting between the two teams.
- Iowa has played on Super Bowl Sunday each of the past four seasons and six of the last eight years.
UP NEXT
Iowa (16-9, 8-6) returns to action on Thursday against Ohio State (11-14, 3-11). Tipoff is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are available for purchase at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.
